Rotary reamer



CCL-2, 1928. 1,686,403

A. BoYNroN ROTARY BEAMER Filed May 15, 1925 5 ShQBtS-Sheet l f wlTNEssEs Il` 7/@1 INVENTOR Alexander fyntorh ATTORNEYS Oct. 2, 1928.

. LBCYNTON f Y amnvrmn' rusa may 1s, 1925- :s sheets-sheet @jay-Z fdr ' IVENTOR Alexander OJIMOP ATTORNEYS lj/'Nillrll |d m 7 BOYNTON ROTARY REAMER Filed may 1s, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 y INVENTOR Alexander ynton BY L/ ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Patented Oct. 2, 1928.

PATENT orties.

ALEX-ANDER BOYNTON, F SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

ROTARY REAMER.

Application mea May i3, 192,5. serial No. 30,014.

This invention relates to an improvement in rotary rea-mers o f the type forming vthe subject matter of my copendinor application Serial #23,879 and by Patent le. 1,589,508

issued June 22, 1926, and one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide in a rotary reamer of this character ef'- ficient and practical means for lubricating the piston and rack of the rotary reamer so 1U as torender it smoother and easier in operat'ron and so as to reduce wear.

Another and important feature of the invention resides'in the novel structure and organization of the reamer blades which are formed with removable cutting shoes adapted to be readily replaced when chilled or worn. The cutting shoes have two cutting'l edges and are readily reversible so that both cutting edges may be used before the shoe is renewed or resharpened.

Other' objects and advantages reside in certain novel features' of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and yparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view of the rotary reamer constructed in accordance with the present invention, the sub and casing being shown in section and the other parts being shown in elevation, f

Figure l is a view in transverse section on line 1"-1a of.Figure l,

Fig. 1b is a horizontal sectiontaken on the line lb-lb of Fig. .1,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but also showing the piston and lubricating barrel in .section and illustrating the reamer blade in horizontal position,

Figure 3 is a view in horizontal section on line 3-3 of Figure 2,

vFigure 4 is afragmentary sectional view illustrating the manner in which the rack is constructed to facilitate lubrication,

Figure 5 is a view in rear elevation of an other form of rotary reamer blade,

-Figure 6 is a view in edge elevation of the blade shown in Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a view thereof in front elevation,

Figure 8 is a view in longitudinal section' on line 8-8 of Figure 7 Figure 9 is a. view in transverse section on line 9 9 of Figure 7,

Figure 10 is a view in front elevation of another form of rotary realner blade,

Fig. 11 is a view in edge elevation of the blade shown in Figure 10,

Figure 12 is a view in rear elevation of the blade shown in Figures 10 and 11,

, Figure 13 is a view in longitudinal section on line 13-13'of Figure '10,

Figure 14 is a view in transverse section on line 14-14 of Figure 10, and

Figure 15 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating the construction of the double cup oil feeding plunger.

It is to be understoodthat this invention is intended for use with the usual equipment or machinery employed in the rotary drilling of oil, gas or water wells, the usual rotary being employed for rotating the drill stem and the standard equipment ordinarily employed being utilized for raising and lowering the drill stem. The usual pumps employed on rotary rigs are also utilized for the purpose of supplying water or other liquid or fluid under pressure down through the hollow rotary drill stem to the rotary reamer constituting the present invention. These instrumentalities are so widely employed and so well known in the art of welly drilling as to need no illustration here.

Y Referring to thedrawings and more particularly to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, numeral l designates generally a rotary reamer assembly constituting the present invention which may be connected to the usual drill stem, not shown, by means of a sub 2. The rotary reamer assembly comprises a cylindrical casing 4 which is machined internally to provide a cylinder. The lower end of the casing 4 is formed with a transverse slot or opening 5 which extends out through one side of the casing and down through the lower'end thereof. The slot 5 is formed between internal enlargements of the casing 4 andthe upper ends of these enlargements present shoulders 5a. See Fig. 2.

A reamer blade designated generally at 6 is provided and may be of the type shown in Figures 1, 1* and 2 or the type shown in Figures 5 to" 9 inclusive, or of the t pe "shown in Figures 10 to 14, inclusive.

All of the vtypes or forms of the' reamer concave as indicated at 28.

lbacks or bodies.

l cutting edges 26 .and 27 groove 25.i formed f with snugly blades have heads 7, 7a and 7b respectively adapted to be snugly litted in the slot 5 and to be pivotally connected to the lower end of the casing by means of a pivot pin 8. Each blade also lhas a body or back 9 in Fig. 1a, 9a in Fig. 9, and 9b in Fig. '14 and a removable cutting shoe 10, 10, 10b, respectively carried by the bodies or backs 9, 9a, 9b.

In the form ofthe blade shown in Figures 1, 1fL and 2 and in the form of the blade shown in Figures 5 to 9 the back or body in each instance has integrally formed thcrewith a centrally located and longitudinally extending raised attaching plate 11, 11a having undercut side edges 12, 12a. The cutting shoe 10, 10a in each of these forms has a pair of inwardly inclined attaching flanges 13, 13a designed to snugly fit against the undercut sides 12, 12a' of the plates 11, 11a of the The outer surfaces of the flanges 13, 13u of the two forms as well as the side faces of the shoes 10,1()a are coplanar or coincident with the side faces 'of the bodies 9, 9a. The cutting shoes in all forms of the blade project beyond the outer end f the body. At the juncture of the bodies 9, 9a and head 7 of the blades as shown in Figures 1, 1a, 2 and 5 to 9 inclusive an inclined transverse shoulder 15 is provided against which either inclined end 1G of its reamer blade 10 is adapted to snugly lit.

In the form of the cutting blade shown in Figures 1, 1a and 2 two cutting edges designated at 22 and 23 are provided and are formed by machining away the face of the cutting shoe from the cutting edges at a sharp angle as indicated at 24. Between the oppositely inclined portions 24 of thev cutting shoes a flat face 25 is formed. The form of the invention shown. in Figures 5 'to 9 differs from the form of the invention shown in Figures 1, 1a and 2l only in the formation of the cutting edges. In Figures 5 to 9 two are formed by transversely curving the body of the cutting shoe so-that the outer face of the cutting shoe is The attaching plate 11a in this form of blade has its outer face transversely curved to snugly engage tlle transversely curved body of the cutting s oe.

In the form of reamer blade shown in Figures 10 to 14 inclusive, the back 9il has a undercut side walls and the shoe 10b has a tongue 26a-designed to fit in the groove 25a and formed with outwardly inclined snugly engage the undercut side walls of the groove 25a.

In all forms of reamer blades, bolts 18 are provided for the purpose of securing the cutting shoes 10 to the backs or bodies 9 against longitudinal movement bolts 18 extending through slots 19 of the cutting shoes and engaging with threaded sockets 20 in the side faces adapted to,

backs or bodies 9. The slots 19 permit the inward thrust exerted on the cutting shoes 10 to force the inner inclined ends of the cutting shoes against the inclined shoulders 15 of the bodies thereby forcing the shoes out against the heads of their bolts or cap screws and locking the bolts or cap .screws in position. y

The reamer blade associated with the casing normally hangs in the position shown in Figure 1 the heads of each reamer blade having stop lugs 30 integral therewith and engageable with the casing to hold the blade in a vertical position. The bladesare also swingable Jfrom-the vertical position shown in Figure 1 to the horizontal position shown in Figure 2. y

Fluid pressure operated means is provided for swinging the reamer blade from the position shown in Figure 1 to the, position shown in Figure 2 and this means includes a piston designated generally at 31 and having a pair of heads 32 and 33 connected by a neck portion 34.

The head 33 has an integral extension 35 formed with teeth 3G so that the extension constitutes a rack engageable with gear teeth 37 formed on the head 7, 7a or Thot the reamer blade employed.

A tubular member or hollow bar 38 is connected to the upper head 32 of the piston, the lower end of the tubular member 38 being threaded into an opening 39 formed in the upper piston head 32. The bar 38 slidably extends through a spider 40 formed on the sub 2'. A coil spring 41 is provided and has its lower end resting on the spider 40 and its upper end engaged with a cap 42 threaded onto the 'tubular member 38. The coil spring 41 is designed to slightly overbalance the piston and the parts supported thereby so that the spring yieldably holds the blade 6 in 'the position shown in Figure 1 while the tool4 is being lowered through the well.

The tubular member 38 provides a reserl voir for a supply of oil or other lubricant which is utilized to lubricatel the piston and cylinder, and the rack and casing, the lubricant being fed from the tubular member 38 down through an axial passage 42 in the piston Jfrom whence it passes through radial passages 43 in the piston heads to annular grooves 44 provided heads. One of the radial passages 44 in the lower piston head communicates with a passage 45 extending throughthe rack and this passage 45 in turn supplies lubricant through transverse passages 46 in the rack to arcuate grooves 47 formed in the periphery of the rack. A removable plug 45a closes the lower end .of the passage 45 and may betaken out to flush the lubricating system. The' feed of the lubricant is effected by the pressure of the washing fluid which is exerted through 'in the sleeves of said n openings 49 in the upper part of the tubular member 38 onto a double cupped oil feeding plunger 50which is shown in detail in Figure 15.

Fluid pressure for forcing the piston downwardly is supplied down through the drill stem from the pumps and passes through the sub 2 between' the arms of the spider LlOinto the cylinder in the casing l wherein it acts on the heads of the pistons. The upper head 32 is formed with openings 60 to permit the fluid to pass down through I this-head against the upper surface of the lower piston head. In this way the fluid pressure acts through the piston, the rack and gear to sw'ng the reamer bladefrom the vertical position shown in Figure 1 to the horizontal position in Figure 2 lWhile the drill stem is rotated. Vhile the piston is being moved from the vertical position shown in Figure l to the horizontal posi tion shown in Figure 2 a small amount of the fluid exerting a pressure on the piston may escape through a small port 61. When the piston has been forced down in the cylinder in the position shown in Figure 2 the upper head 32 covers the port 61 but at this time a larger escape port 62 is uncovered by the lower piston head and permits a relatively great amount of fluid to escape. The ports 61 and 62 are lined by lead bushings 63 which have been found to resist the cutting action of sand far better than the hardest steel. I

The rotary reamer may be operated as set out in my copending applications and it is to be understood that the improvement disclosed in this case may be used with any of the instrumentalit es disclosed in the copending cases.

When the reamer blade has been moved to a horizontal position its head is engaged with a shoulder 65 on the casing and the piston rests on the shoulder 5a of theecasing and also'engages the head of the reamer blade.

' See Fig. 2. This with the particular form of gear .and rack teeth shown provides an extremely strong and durable structure which will stand up under the severe stresses met with in rotary reaming.

One of the important features of thel invention resides in the manner in which the iuiddischarge ports 63 are arranged with reference to the piston head. As shown in the drawings the upper port is open when the blade hangs vvertically downward. Upper port begins to close when blade is half way out. Upper port is ycompletely closed when blade is about three fourths out. In this position, the water circulation is completely cut off. When the blade rises slightly more the bottom port begins to open. The action of the pump therefore discloses the exact position of the blade at all times;

the `most positive indication of the position of the blade being just as upper 4port closes immediately before lower port begins to open. At this point, the operator -is fully and positively advised, that he may begin roaming downward because the bladel is far enough out to avoid the danger of the blade being forced back into the hole below by feeding the drill stem downward, If the operator should begin to' ream .downward before the blade is wide enough open, the point of the blade might. go back into the hole below rather than out to the horizontal position. The action of the pump in being completely cut olf after the point of the blade has gone out into the wall far enough to withstand pressure from above, is quite important. Operators have frequently become impatient while reaming hard formations and by not wait'ng for the blade to open sufficiently before the drill stem is fed downward, they would force the bla e back into the small hole instead of giving it a little more timeto open to Aa point where the downward thrust of the drill stem would force the blade out into the wall, instead of back into the hole below.

I claim:

l. A reamer for use in wells comprising a casing, a reamer blade pivotally mounted on the casing, fluid pressure operated means fory swinging the reamer blade comprising Aa piston, said. casing having a cylinder in which the piston is fitted, motiontransmission means between the piston and the blade, and lubricating means for the pistonhaving a feed member directly exposed to and actuated by the fluid pressure in the casing.

2. In a reamer,a casing, a reamer blade pivot-ally mounted on the casing, fluid pressure operated means for swinging the reamer blade comprising a piston, said casing having a cylinder in which the piston is fitted, motion transmission means between thepisron and the blade, lubricating means for the piston, and comprising a tubular member providing a. reservoir for the lubricant, said piston having passages leading to its periphery and grooves in its periph'ery communicating with the passages and fluid pressure operated means for feeding the lubricasing, a reamer blade pivotally mounted onA the casing, fluid pressure operated means for Swingin the reamer blade com risinO' a ist, :sv

ton, said casinghaving a cylinder in which` the piston is fitted, motion transmission means between the piston and the'blade, lu-

bricating means for the piston, and -comby the piston within the casing and pro- 'viding a reservoir for the lubricant, said piston having passages leading to lits periphery and the grooves in itsperiphery communi-` 'prising a separate. tubular member carried eating Withthe passages and means operating` in the tubular member and exposed to and actuated by the lHuid pressure in the casing for feeding thelubricant from 'the.reservoir through the passages to the grooves.

4. In a reamer,a casing, a reamer bladevv the blade, and means for lubricating the piston and the rack and, including a reservoir mounted on the piston, said piston and said rack having passages communicating with the reservoir and having peripheral grooves communicating With the passages.

' 5. In a rotary reamer, a swingable reamer blade comprising a body and a removable and reversible cuttmg shoe, said cutting `shoe Aand said body having slidably interengaging means and a fastening device for holding the shoe against removal from the body.

6. In a rotary reainer, a reamer blade comprising a body and a removable and reversible cutting shoe', said cutting shoe and said body having slidably inter-engaging means, the ends of the shoe being inclined, the body having -an inclined shoulder With which the ends are engageable, 'and a fastening device for holding theshoeagainstremoval from the body, and comprising a bolt threaded into the bodyand engageable with the shoe, the shoehaving a slot through which the shank of the bolt extends, the inward thrust exerted on the shoe forcing the inner inclined end thereof-against the shoulder and thereby forcing the shoe out lagainst the -head 'of the bolt to lock the bolt.

7. In a rotary reamer, a blade having a body and a cutting shoe removably attached to the body, and having two cutting edges, L

.said shoe beingreversible so as topermit of vsuccessive use of the cutting edges, said cutcluding a longitudinally extending tongue.

on the body having undercut side edges and y flanges on the shoe defining a groove receiving the tongue and engageable with the side edges thereof and a fastening device for holding the shoe against removal from the body.

9. lIn a rotary reamer, a blade comprising a bod-y and a. cutting shoe, said body and said cutting shoe having longitudinally slidabe engaging means, the ends of the shoe being inclined, the body having an inclined shoulder with Which Athe ends are inter-engageable, and atfastening device for holding the shoe against removal from the body, the

inward thrust. exerted on the shoe' forcing the inner inclined end thereof against the shoulder and thereby binding thefaetenimg;` means into locking engagement With the parts with which it co-a`cts.

ALEXANDER BoYivroN. 

